Papa John’s Franchise Controller on Russia Shops Not Closing: ‘At the End of the Day, They Appreciate a Good Pizza’

An American franchise operator of Papa John’s locations in Russia confirmed this week that shops his company controls in the country are not closing.

In staying open, “master franchisee” Christopher Wynne argued in a New York Timesinterview shared Tuesday, he’s showing “compassion” to the Russian people.

“The best thing I can do as an individual is show compassion for the people, my employees, franchisees, and customers without judging them because of the politicians in power,” Wynne, the 45-year-old founder of the PJ Western Group, told the paper. In fact, per Wynne, the foot traffic at locations in Russia was at its normal rate as recently as late last month.

“The vast majority of Russian people are very clearheaded and understand the dark gravity of the situation they’re in,” Wynne said. “And, at the end of the day, they appreciate a good pizza.”

In short, the 190 Papa John’s locations in Russia are mostly owned by Russians via a franchise agreement with PJ Western, which Wynne founded in 2006. The group later acquired the master franchise for Papa John’s Russia, at a time when there were just four locations in the Moscow area. Recent stats (including the addition of 10 new locations in Russia) show that PJ Western has since expanded to control more than 240 stores in multiple countries.

This month, the Atlanta, Georgia-headquartered Papa John’s International announced the suspension of its corporate operations in Russia. In a press release, a rep also noted that Papa John’s International “is not currently receiving any royalties from these franchised stores in Russia,” adding that the company doesn’t “own or operate” any locations in the country.

Other U.S. companies have made similar announcements following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including McDonald’s and Starbucks.